Contradictory evidence has been reported on the effects of discovery learning approach and the role of instructional explanations. By manipulating the presence of instruction (verbal explanation) and transparency of problem structures, we investigated how effects of instructional explanations differed depending on the transparency of problem…

Numerous classroom-based research projects have examined the important role social skills play in an elementary classroom (Browning, Davis, and Resta 2000; Burns 2003; Palmer and Wehmeyer 2003; Stone 2001). As Stone (2001, 18) suggested, "Teachers have an enormous influence on children's behavior by speaking directly and honestly to them,…

Analyzes talk to discover what teacher verbal behaviors are associated with critical thinking and problem-solving behavior in children. Finds that teacher questioning and structuring in role enhanced the amount of children's evaluative and divergent thinking most. Offers an analytical comparison of two lessons to demonstrate teaching strategies.…

The traditional practice of having students read or respond to questions in turn is questioned. Research suggests that teacher effectiveness improves when teachers clearly explain the task at hand before children respond. (PP)

Assertion training should be an integral part of preservice teacher training so that, when beginning teachers enter the classroom, they will be confident and able to establish a positive learning climate and minimize discipline problems. A graduate course was developed to assist teachers to develop assertive communication and to use assertive…

An investigation of the interaction patterns of Polynesian and Pakeha (New Zealanders of European extraction) children and teachers in school and play areas of Auckland, New Zealand was undertaken to discover possible ethnic differences in modes of social interaction relevant to learning. Observations of children (ages 2 to 11) and their…

A model of classroom characteristics and interaction is used to examine the roles of group size, problem types, and student behaviors, central concerns in problem-based learning, in medical education. The model incorporates six classroom dimensions, including four process variables (classroom organization, learning task, teacher's instruction,…

Classrooms in our nation's schools reflect an "assembly-line model" of work in which the educational product is a set of students' performance and abilities learned in school. Contemporary educators are critical of the old factory model and seek to replace it by classrooms whose goals are to learn and to develop knowledge. Studied is the…